WENHAM, Mass.—Gordon Baseball had its good fortune halted on its NESCAC tour, as Bates handed the Fighting Scots a doubleheader sweep 7-3 and 8-1. The Bobcats pitchers kept Gordon's usually explosive offense at bay and capitalized on the Scots' mistakes to pull off the sweep. Bates improves to 11-12 on the season, while Gordon falls to 11-15-1.
Gordon starter
Colin Strapp (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Bates starter Dillon Dresser (Falmouth, Maine) both looked sharp early in game one. Strapp struck out the side in the first inning, while Dresser received solid defensive help to keep Gordon scoreless through three innings.
Bates finally broke through in the top of the fourth inning when John Dinucci (West Hartford, Conn.) sent a screamer down the right field line for a solo shot. With two outs in the inning, Strapp walked three straight Bobcats and Bates made Gordon pay. Ryan McCarthy (Plaistow, N.H.) hit a 3-1 pitch over the second baseman's head to drive in two and growing the Bates' lead to three in the process.
The Bobcats kept the bats rolling in the fifth inning when four hits and three runs. Once again Gordon got two quick outs when Bates broke through for four consecutive hits to drive in three more runs. Conor Reenstierna (Lincoln, Mass.) and Rockwell Jackson (Fort Worth, Texas) came up with the RBI singles.
Gordon countered in the bottom half of the fifth inning with doubles from
Alonzo Martinez (El Paso, Texas) and
Jared Kefalas (Wenham, Mass.). The Scots threatened for more with bases loaded and only one out, but a double play ended the inning. Gordon had two such chances thwarted in game one on the double-play ball.
The Scots cut the lead to three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring on a pair of wild pitches. Reenstierna picked up another RBI hit in the seventh inning and Gordon went down in order in the final half frame to end it 7-3.
Dresser picked up his first win of the season while giving up five hits and one run in four and a third. Strapp took the loss while giving up six runs, but only three earned.
Game Two Gordon struck first in game two when Kefalas scored on an error by the Bates third baseman, but that would be the only time the Scots would score in the contest.
Walks and hit batters plagued the Scots in game two, as Gordon pitchers issues nine free passes in seven innings. Gordon out hit the Bobcats 5-4 in the game, but the walked batter provided Bates with many more opportunities.
Sam Berry (South Hamilton, Mass.) got the Bobcats on the board in the third inning with a sacrifice fly to plate Jake Shapiro (Sandy, Utah). Mekae Hyde (Lewiston, Maine) walked to drive in a run and then an error on a lineout allowed two more Bobcats to score in the third inning.
Bates really broke things open in the next inning when Hyde cleared the bases with a two-out double to the gap. Berry homered in the sixth for good measure to send Bates to the 8-1 trumping.
Chris Ward (Pasadena, Calif.) earned his first win of the season, allowing only one unearned run in six innings of work. The junior struck out five batters and walked none, but Gordon's staff struggled with control.
The Scots will look to rebound from a three-game losing streak tomorrow when Brandeis comes to town for a 3:30 p.m. start.
